Release Date: August 1, 1991.
Recording Time: 53 minutes.
Recording Date: December 15, 1935 - Noveber 28, 1941.
Release Info: SB-3503, Compilation, Studio Recording, Remastered.
Styles: Acoustic Chicago Blues, Regional Blues, Acoustic Blues.
In 1991, 18 recordings by Bill Gaither dating from 1935-1941 were reissued on the Story of the Blues label, marking this overlooked blues guitarist's very first appearance on compact disc. Whereas Document would take on Gaither's every known recording within a few years of this release, the initial sampler on Story of the Blues provides a good introduction to his style and technique. "Naptown Stomp," which is a cousin to a 1929 boogie-woogie record by pianist Herve Duerson, refers to what would have been called the colored section of Indianapolis, IN. With its title slightly altered, "I Can Drink Muddy Water" is easily recognizable as Eddie Miller's often-interpreted "I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water (Sleep in a Hollow Log)," a bitter tune that fits well with much of Gaither's personal repertoire, and "You Done Ranked Yourself with Me," which is echoed in salty titles like "You Done Lost Your Swing," "You Done Showed Your D.B.A.," "I'm Wise to Your Sweet Little Line of Jive," and "Tired of That Same Stuff All the Time." With Gaither's cover of Big Maceo Merriweather's "Worried Life Blues" perched at the end of the playlist, this is a fine little introduction to one of the great unsung Midwestern bluesmen of the pre-WWII era. ~ arwulf arwulf
Credits: Joshua Altheimer - piano; Champion Jack Dupree - piano; Bill Gaither - composer, primary artist; Roger Misiewicz - collection; Johnny Parth - collection, producer; R. Parth - producer.
- 01. Naptown Stomp - Bill Gaither
- 02. Which One I Love The Best - Leroy's Buddy
- 03. Too Many Women - Leroy's Buddy
- 04. L & N Blues - Leroy's Buddy
- 05. Blake Street Blues - Leroy's Buddy
- 06. Do Like You Want To Do - Leroy's Buddy
- 07. Thousand Years And A Day - Leroy's Buddy
- 08. Mean Old World To Live In - Leroy's Buddy
- 09. Right Hand Friend - Leroy's Buddy
- 10. New Pains In My Heart - Bill Gaither
- 11. Bachelor Man Blues - Bill Gaither
- 12. Love Trifling Blues - Little Bill Gaither
- 13. Wandering Rosa Lee - Little Bill Gaither
- 14. Moonshine By The Keg - Little Bill Gaither
- 15. I Got So Many Women - Little Bill Gaither
- 16. I Can Drink Muddy Water - Little Bill Gaither
- 17. You Done Ranked Yourself With Me - Little Bill Gaither
- 18. Worried Life Blues - Little Bill Gaither
All titles by Bill Gaither.
Personnel: Bill Gaither (Leroy's Buddy, Little Bill Gaither) - Vocals, Guitar; Honey Hill - Piano; Unknown - Alto Saxophone; Unknown - Bass; Unknown - Piano; Unknown - Drum; Joshua Altheimer - Piano; Baby Doo - Guitar; Jessie Ellery - Guitar; Jack Dupree - Piano; Horace Malcolm - Piano.
01: 90508-A Chicago, IL, December 15, 1935
02: 90706-A Chicago, IL, May 4, 1936
03: 90937-A Chicago, IL, October 20, 1936
04: 90941-A Chicago, IL, October 20, 1936
05: 62565-A New York City, NY, August 27, 1937
06: 62572-A New York City, NY, August 27, 1937
07: 64186-A New York City, NY, June 23, 1938
08: 64187-A New York City, NY, June 23, 1938
09: 64197-A New York City, NY, June 23, 1938
10: 64199-A New York City, NY, June 23, 1938
11: 91851-A Chicago, IL, October 22, 1939
12: WC-3103-A Chicago, IL, June 12, 1940
13: WC-3105-A Chicago, IL, June 12, 1940
14: C-3569-1 Chicago, IL, January 24, 1941
15: C-3572-1 Chicago, IL, January 24, 1941
16: C-3573-1 Chicago, IL, January 24, 1941
17: C-3574-1 Chicago, IL, January 24, 1941
18: C-4079-1 Chicago, IL, Noveber 28, 1941